Junior Tafa replaced his older brother Justin the day before UFC 298. Photo: Justin Tafa Instagram
Kiwi MMA heavyweight Junior Tafa was beaten in his short notice fight against Marcos de Lima at UFC 298.
De Lima peppered Tafa with brutal leg kicks, which eventually caused the Auckland-born Tafa to collapse to the canvas for the TKO loss.
The Brazilian showed mercy with his ground and pound, just two shots needed before the fight was called.
Junior became the latest fighter replacement in the company's history yesterday, replacing his older brother Justin who was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury suffered in grappling.
He was hailed for his courgae and the appreciation from the fans in Anaheim was evident, as Tafa received a huge cheer as he entered the Honda Centre.
Tafa looked sharp with his jab early but it did not take long for him to eat a vicious calf kick, rendering him unable to bear weight on his lead leg.
With his opponent compromised, de Lima shot for a takedown as the two heavyweights clinched on the cage.
Tafa broke free, and though clearly struggling to stand, smiled as his opponent came toward him.
De Lima would get the takedown with ease on the second attempt and controlled Tafa on the ground for the remaining two minutes of the round.
Tafa was urged to switch to southpaw by his corner, and threw a hail mary overhand in a bid for a finish but the leg kicks had debilitated Tafa, and one more would end in his defeat one minute into the second.
De Lima said in his post fight interview that he wanted to be calm and methodical, and get him "little by little".
Junior Tafa is scheduled for a quick turnaround against Karl Williams on 24 March.
UFC 298 will be headlined by a featherweight championship bout between Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Ilia Topuria.
-RNZ